June 24, 1905. 
A Tub of Heliotrope. 
Those who have lawns in front of their 
houses frequently have a liking for plants of 
a tender character stood about in particular 
situations during the summer months. The 
Heliotrope lends itself to this method of treat¬ 
ment in summer, and few things are more 
pleasing or desirable under the windows than 
a bed or tub of Heliotrope. The flowers are 
usually of some s'hade of lilac or lavender of 
paler or more intense shades, but never 
aggressive. Indeed the scent of Heliotropes 
isTwhat makes them the popular flowers they 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
porous to allow superfluous moisture to drain 
away. 
During winter very little water will be re¬ 
quired, though in summer a more liberal 
amount may be given with advantage. The 
point to remember is to keep the plant quite 
dry at the roots in winter, and the atmosphere 
also dry practically at every period of the 
year. This may be understood from the fact 
that the plant is a native of the West Indies, 
in situations that are of a dry character during 
most periods of the year. 
513 
PARIS . . . 
HOKTICULTUKAL EXHIBITION. 
The Art of Displaying Plants and Flowers. 
When I looked on the wonderful array of 
flowers, fruits, and vegetables I thought of 
our Temple Show and Napoleon’s remarks 
with reference to England being a nation of 
shopkeepers. In Paris art is the governing 
power, in England commerce. Art anti com¬ 
merce have too long been divorced in this 
country, and an endeavour should be made, 
at least in floral displays, to bring about a 
reconciliation. In Paris one could almost 
cycle round the exhibition ; in the Temple 
Show one could not walk round. In England 
the exhibitor’s chief object seems to be to 
crowd as many varieties of plants as possible 
on to his stand in order that he may book 
orders for them, and little or nothing is cared 
for effect; in Paris artistic effect is the chief 
object in view, and consequently the exhibits 
are less crowded, and are arranged with great 
taste and care. 
Taken generally, the quality of the ex¬ 
hibits was far below that of exhibits in this 
country, with perhaps an exception to vege¬ 
tables ; but here perhaps I was over-im¬ 
pressed with the arrangement. I did not 
find vegetables in piles in stuffy, dusty tents, 
but picturesque grouping on the river terrace 
—cool, delightful, refreshing—fresh, bright 
vegetables on one side and the beautiful 
Seine on the other. It was a pleasure to walk 
along this delightful spot. Annuals and 
herbaceous perennials were not massed in 
untidy bunches on tables all on one level, 
but were arranged chiefly on the terrace steps 
leading down to the Seine. Grown in pots 
specially for the exhibition, they remained 
quite fresh throughout the week, and were 
unaffected by the heat. Why are hardy 
annuals and perennials not more often grown 
in pots in this country ? Certainly they 
well repay for their trouble, for nothing could 
be more useful at that awkward season be¬ 
tween the bulbs and summer bedding. 
Where is the secret of these delightful effects 
so often to he seen in the Gay City ? Per¬ 
haps one man having the whole arrangement 
practically entirely in his own hands has 
something to do with it. The exhibition is 
placed in the hands of an experienced land¬ 
scape gardener who has studied and arranged 
exhibitions all over the world. I spent some 
time with this gentleman, and was pleased 
to hear that he gained most of his cultural 
and general knowledge in English nurseries. 
Of new plants there was a scarcity, but a 
few are worthy of mention. Codiaeum 
Duchess of Gramont was a variety of great 
merit and special decorative value, and 
should soon find its way into the best- Eng¬ 
lish stove collections. A variety of Verbena 
liybrida named Etoile de Stuttgart was one 
of the most beautiful features of the show : 
the flowers are white, with a conspicuous red 
strip in each petal. There were several new 
economic plants, but these as a rule aie of 
little interest to gardeners in this country. 
Huge plants of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine 
were exhibited by one firm ; they weie quit? 
4 ft. through, and so completely covered with 
flowers as to hide the foliage. It is seldom 
one sees this winter plant- in such good form 
at this season. Perhaps one of the most 
striking features of the show was the hugq 
group of Cacti in flower staged by M. Charles 
Simon. The group was arranged in a deep 
bay, and as each variety stood out boldly 
ill vt 
A tub of Heliotrope mixed with a few Pelar¬ 
goniums is represented on our middle sheet, 
and this can be copied by anyone with a love . 
for gardening and the will to look after such 
plant® in summer. Those who have no con¬ 
venience for raising the plants can procure 
them from nurserymen in spring; but ardent 
gardeners, whether amateurs or otherwise, can 
easily raise their own plants if they possess a 
greenhouse with a cold frame or two for strik¬ 
ing the cuttings in autumn. 
Cuttings can be put in about the beginning 
of September in pots of sandy soil, stood on 
the surface of a spent hotbed or simply in a 
cold frame or under a hand-light kept closed 
until the cuttings are rooted, after which more 
air should be given. If accommodation is 
scantv the plants may be kept in pots, pans, 
or boxes, in which they have been rooted 
through the winter, but in order to induce 
continuous growth a sufficient number should 
be potted off singly and- encouraged to make 
both roots and tops through the winter until 
they can safely be placed in their summer 
quarters. 
Long before bedding out time, however, 
tubs could be made up with a sufficient num¬ 
ber of plants to fill them, and kept growing 
until w r ell into June, when all danger of frost 
is over. The tubs can then be stood 1 in con¬ 
venient situations on the grass or on the edges 
of walks, and simply attended to in the matter 
of watering. After someiree growth has been 
made the stems will droop over and com¬ 
pletely hide the tub or other receptacle m 
which they are grown. In our illustration a 
few Pelargonium flowers may also be seen, 
but, the Heliotropes have really .got the 
mastery and form the more important plant. 
The Turk’s Cap Cactus (Melocactus 
communis). 
Our illustration of the above plant shows 
a very remarkable form of vegetation even in 
a family that is altogether either curious, re¬ 
markable in form, weird, or grotesque. Most 
of the above terms might be applied to the 
Turk’s Cap or Melon Thistle. The cap or top 
portion is the most curious of all, inasmuch 
as it is much narrower than the rest of the 
plant, and consists of a dense mass of woolly- 
looking hairs, amongst which are numerous 
slender prickles. Out of this portion of the 
plant the flowers appear, but they are only 
moderate in size compared with some other 
members of the same family. They are about 
1 in. long, tubular and rosy red. 
This narrow portion of the plant gradually 
swells out until it assumes the form of the 
base of the plant, though, as it swells out at 
the lower portion, a fresh portion is produced 
on the top, thus always presenting the same 
singular appearance. Those who desire to 
grow this plant should select the driest and 
warmest part of the stove, unless indeed they 
have a house of that character in which it can 
be placed. The, soil should consist of sandy 
loam with a liberal admixture of broken pots 
or soft brickbats, so as to make it thoroughly 
Hoya bella. 
(See Supplement.) 
The enclosed photo of a plant of Hoya bella 
had upwards of 200 open flowers on it when 
photographed. This variety is frequently 
seen as a climber on trellis work iii a stove, 
but it also makes an attractive plant in a 
pot or basket, and the flowers keep fresh for 
at least ten days, and others continue to un¬ 
fold for several weeks. The plant under notice 
was struck in April, 1904, and grown in an 
intermediate temperature till it reached the 
size of requiring a 6-in. pot. This shift, was 
made last February, and it will be sufficient 
for this year.— James Matthew. 
The photograph from which our supple¬ 
mentary illustration was prepared was sent 
in for our photographic competition, and Mr. 
James Matthew, the sender, The Gardens, 
Grantully, Aberfeldy, has been awarded the 
first prize for the best photo of a room or 
table plant. We think our readers will admit 
that the specimen was a very fine one, and, 
rarely seen in cultivation in such form. The 
flowers are waxy-white with a rosy-crimson 
centre, and the drooping stems are furnished 
with small dark green opposite leaves, about 
the size of those of the common Myrtle. The 
whole plant is therefore quite different from 
the better-known Hoya carnosa, and is in¬ 
deed a choice and beautiful though much 
neglected stove plant. It was introduced fiom 
India in 1847, but has not received the atten¬ 
tion lately which its beauty deserves. We 
have not seen so large and well-grown a speci¬ 
men as this must have been. The photograph 
itself was also an excellent production, and 
well deserving of the award. 
The Orange-Coloured Currant. 
(Ribes aureum aurantiacum.) 
The common form of this, the Missouri Cur¬ 
rant, is found in almost every garden, and is 
usually a favourite by reason of its fragrant 
blossoms. In addition to the type, there are 
a number of varieties, some of which are 
superior to it, being of better habit and more 
freely flowered- Of the half-dozen or so 
varieties, the one under notice is the best, in 
so much as it is cf fairly dwarf, compact 
habit, rarely rising more than, 3 ft. above the 
around, very floriferous, richer coloured than 
the type, and keeping in bloom for a longer 
period, the blooming period extending, from 
the end of March until fihe middle of May. 
Like other flowering Currants, it is an excel¬ 
lent shrubbery plant, while it is also a • 
subject for a bed. In addition to being 
easily increased, by means of cuttings of ripe 
wood, it suckers freely, and these, if removed, 
quickly grow into fine plants. Like othci 
vigorous-growing shrubs, it enjoys rich soi . 
